State government statistics suggest that Maharashtra has around 93,418 acre of wakf land spread over about 23,566 registered properties, with most land parcels in Aurangabad division, which was part of the dominion of the Nizam of Hyderabad.
Imagine having over 93,000 acre of land spread out across prime locations with just around 40 employees to protect it, identify new properties and collect revenues. This is the story of the wakf board in Maharashtra. While wakf properties in the state have been encroached on, the board has skeletal staff for duties like managing these properties and preventing encumbrances.
State government statistics suggest that Maharashtra has around 93,418 acre of wakf land spread over about 23,566 registered properties, with most land parcels in Aurangabad division, which was part of the dominion of the Nizam of Hyderabad.
"Today, the state wakf board has just 38 staffers across Maharashtra, of which most are clerical. We have just one regional wakf officer for the seven districts of the Konkan, including Mumbai, which has 5,941 acre wakf land," explained a senior official from the minority welfare department.
He added that the master plan developed by the department envisaged the recruitment of 106 officials and the infusion of Rs 9.50 crore as grants for a five-year period. It is proposed that the board may become financially self-sufficient by collecting two per cent of the income from wakf institutions.
"We need staff for protection of wakf properties and to prevent their sale. It will help control the misuse of wakf land and monetise the value of these properties. Oversight and control is necessary. More manpower will ensure that we identify new wakf properties, register them, conduct inquiries and approve change reports," said an official, adding that work pendency is huge.
He explained that when the board was formed in 1995, the staff stood at 55, which has shrunk to 38 now.
"Today, the board has no staff or district officers despite the huge number of properties and lands. If we get more staff on-board, it will speed up work on removing encroachments, generating income and getting rent from lessees who haven't payed for years. This money can be used for the community," said Shabbir Ansari of the Tehreek-e-Auqaf.
In 2015, the inquiry commission headed by ATAK Shaikh, a retired district and sessions judge, probing irregularities in management of Wakf lands, submitted its report indicting officials and politicians for encroachments on these Muslim endowments and their illegal transfer, development and creation of third-party rights.
However, a task force under the principal secretary (revenue) had pointed out that around 70 per cent of these properties were under illegal occupation, had been encroached upon or were transferred. The large-scale encroachments prevent the utilisation of these problems for development.
According to the chief minister's study group headed by former IAS officer Mehmood-ur-Rehman, which submitted a report on the 'Socio-economic and educational backwardness of the Muslims in Maharashtra,' no detailed survey has been conducted to ascertain the exact extent of encroachment of wakf properties and about 60 per cent of wakf land is under encroachment in Marathwada alone.
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